The Sequim Gazette earned 27 team or individual awards in the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association’s 2018 Better Newspaper Contest.

Reporters Matthew Nash and Erin Hawkins, editor Michael Dashiell, special sections editor Laura Lofgren and former Gazette staffer Patricia Morrison Coate were among those honored as professionals recognized top industry work at Washington non-daily and small daily newspapers at the association’s annual convention, held in Yakima from Oct. 11-13.

The Sequim Gazette, a Sound Publishing newspaper, is in Group 2 among WNPA’s four circulation groups. Group 2 includes the Anacortes America, Chewelah Independent, Snoqualmie Valley Record, Methow Valley News and Mercer Island Reporter, among others.

The contest considered writing, design, photography, advertising and web content from newspapers statewide between April 1, 2017, and March 31, 2018, and special sections between June 1, 2017 and May 31, 2018.

The Wisconsin Newspaper Association judged this year’s WNPA contest, with 1,146 news pieces, 305 photos, 266 advertisements, 156 special sections and 30 web submissions from 62 participating newspapers.

See a full list of winners here: www.issuu.com/wnpafiles/docs/2018_wnpa_awards_tab_final_proof.

Writing

Erin Hawkins

• Second place, General Feature Story-Short (“Twiga’s Small Miracle,” May 10, 2017)

• Second place, Education Story (“Sequim Teachers Voice Their Value,” Sept. 13, 2017)

• Third place, Education Story (“SHS Classes Leading the Way in Science,” Jan. 31, 2018)

• Third place, Health or Medical Story (“Local Teen Battles Cancer,” June 14, 2017)

• Third place, Personality Profile-Long (“Jevne, school co-founder and Vietnam veteran, dies,” April 19, 2017)

• Third place, Story on the Arts (“A Jazz Pianist’s Journey,” Aug. 23, 2017)

Matthew Nash

• Second place, Health or Medical Story (“Diabetics Seek Local Options for Care,” April 5, 2017)

• Second place, General Feature Story-Long (“Remembering Robert and Robby,” Nov. 8, 2017)

• Third place, Comprehensive Coverage (“Green Crab Invasion”)

Michael Dashiell

• First place, General Feature Story-Short (“The Viola Comes Home,” April 12, 2017)

• Second place, Sports Personality Profile (“Glasser Coming Full Circle,” Jan. 31, 2018)

• Third place, Sportswriter of the Year

• Third place, Sports Personality Profile (“Fight of Riley,” Nov. 15, 2017)

Photography

Matthew Nash

• Second place, Feature/Portrait or Pictorial, Black & White (“Me and Mr. Silly Gilly,” May 3, 2017)

Michael Dashiell

• First place, Color Feature (“Wheel Fun at the Logging Show,” May 17, 2017)

• Second place, Color Portrait (“A Glass Act,” Jan. 10, 2018)

• Second place, Color Sports-Feature (“Calm Before the Storm,” Jan. 17, 2018)

• Third place, Color Sports-Feature (“Play Ball,” April 19, 2017)

• Third place, Feature/Portrait or Pictorial, Black & White (“Tanks for the Magic Act,” June 28, 2017)

Staff

• Third place, Color Photo Essay (Michael Dashiell, Erin Hawkins, Matthew Nash), The Year in Pictures, Jan. 3, 2018

Design, web content

Michael Dashiell

• First place, Sports Page Design (“Glasser Coming Full Circle,” Jan. 31, 2018)

• Second place, Front Page Design (“Lavender Experience,” July 19, 2017)

• Second place, Feature page design (“Life Weaving Wood,” Jan. 24, 2018)

Staff

• First place, Online Photo Essay (Michael Dashiell, Erin Hawkins, Matthew Nash), 2017 Lavender Weekend, July 2017

• Second place, Online Photo Essay (Patricia Morrison Coate, Michael Dashiell, Erin Hawkins) 2017 Sequim Irrigation Festival Weekend, May 2017

Special sections

Laura Lofgren

• First place, Lifestyle/Culture (“Emergency Preparedness Guide,” Feb. 14, 2018)

• Third place, Lifestyle/Culture (“Living on the Peninsula,” March 2018)

The Sequim Gazette/Peninsula Daily News’ Emergency Preparedness Guide (editor Laura Lofgren) took first place in the 2018 WNPA Better Newspaper Contest’s Special Sections-Lifestyle/Culture division.

The Sequim Gazette’s Jan. 31, 2018, cover of the sports section took first place in the 2018 WNPA Better Newspaper Contest’s Sports Page Design division. (designer Michael Dashiell)

“A Glass Act,” a photo of glass artist Megan Schmidlkofer, took second place in the the 2018 WNPA Better Newspaper Contest’s Photography-Color Portrait division. Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell

The Sequim Gazette’s July 19, 2017, front page took second place in the 2018 WNPA Better Newspaper Contest’s Front Page Design division. (designer Michael Dashiell)

Mr. Silly Gilly, aka Glenn Gilliam, entertains a crowd (including 5-year-old Kyra Miller) with his own rendition of songs like “Five Little Monkeys” in April 2017. The photo took second place in the the 2018 WNPA Better Newspaper Contest’s Photography-Feature Portrait or Pictorial (black and white) division. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash

The Sequim Gazette’s Jan. 24 cover of the Community section took second place in the 2018 WNPA Better Newspaper Contest’s Feature Page Design division. (designer Michael Dashiell)

“Calm Before the Storm,” a photo of Sequim High School swimmers in a meet against rivals from Port Angeles in January 2017, took second place in the 2018 WNPA Better Newspaper Contest’s Photography-Color Sports-Feature division. Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell

The Sequim Gazette/Peninsula Daily News’ Living On the Peninsula (editor Laura Lofgren) took third place in the 2018 WNPA Better Newspaper Contest’s Special Sections-Lifestyle/Culture division.

Martha Wise of Carson City, Nev., and teacher Chris Stevens of Sequim help magician Jeff Evans with an “underwater” trick on June 27, 2017. The photo, “Tanks for the Magic Act,” took third place in the the 2018 WNPA Better Newspaper Contest’s Photography-Feature Portrait or Pictorial (black and white) division. Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell